Review: Fishing Adventure – Basic Fishing Adventure On The Go

There are not a lot of fishing games on Nintendo Switch and there is a reason why. Fishing simulators need a lot of advanced mechanics and visual graphics to feel authentic which is seriously limited on Nintendo Switch due to its weak hardware. However, this did not stop Ultimate Games S.A. from releasing their brand new fishing title Fishing Adventure on Nintendo Switch. This is our review of Fishing Adventure on Nintendo Switch in which we get down to some fishy business.

Fishing Adventure is a pretty basic fishing game. Right after you boot the game, there is no intro or flashy videos for that ‘Woah!’ first impressions. A boring menu leads you to the map of the game where you find out that only 1 location is available and the rest of them are locked. Since there is literally nothing else to do in the game, you are forced to jump in Poland and try your luck with some fishing. There are no tutorials as well however on-screen commands help you do different activities in the game which is pretty convenient.

Fishing Adventure offers eight countries set in America and Europe. When I first selected a country, I was under the impression that you get more locations to choose further in the country but choosing a country simply launched you into a map based on that country. There are no further map selections so in total, you have eight different maps to fish in which range from Poland to Norway to Haiti and Canada. Each location also has a pre-defined weather system and time.

For example, Poland comes with a thunderstorm and Dusk. There are no options to change these settings so there are literally just eight pre-set maps for you to play in. Also, there is no campaign in the game. The maps are locked at the beginning as well. You only have access to Poland where you can catch fish, level up and unlock more countries. Leveling up will allow you to earn licenses of more countries to fish in.

The gameplay of Fishing Adventure is pretty basic. There are no complex maneuvers involved here. All you need to do is grind the game, catch as many fish as you can, earn money and XP and unlock new maps to fish in. The fishing itself is pretty simple. You just press ZR to launch your tackle in the water. Depending on how long you hold ZR, the further it goes. An on-screen prompt will tell when a fish nibbles on the lure or bait.

When it does, press ZR again to latch it on and then reel in with ZL. On the way back, you must balance the pressure to bring in the fish and not break the line because of too much pressure. That’s it. There is nothing more to the gameplay here. There are no advanced fishing moves or tricks that you can use to lure special types of fish using the same lure or tackle. The gear is also pretty basic. Upgraded gear has good stats but it looks pretty much the same with some changed visuals.

To purchase better gear in the game, you can press X at any time while playing the game and it will open up the shop menu which will show you both the inventory and the market. From this screen, you can check your own inventory and then head to the market to purchase better gear. The shop allows you to purchase better rods, reels, lines and more. You can also refill your stocks of Baits from the market at any time. You will need to level up to unlock better items first and then spend coins to purchase the items. However, the access remains active at all times in the game even when you are on the boat.

You can also use boats to go deeper into the waters and look for fish that are not available near the shores. You will need to purchase a single-time license or a permanent license before you can jump in the boat and drive. The controls of the boat are fine but I found the camera to be extremely awkward. Instead of switching to a third-person view, you row the boat in the first-person view which means that you are facing the opposite side while rowing the boat. This makes movement very awkward and you cannot see where you are going.

Another big problem for me in the game was that there are no vibrating cues such as when the fish nibble on the lure or the bait. Having these vibrating cues offer more immersive gameplay because currently, I was just staring at the bait icon to see if something has nibbled yet or not. Vibrating Cues allow you more freedom and you do not have to stare on a single icon when you can look around the screen and explore the world of the game. I would have preferred if the game had vibrating cues as well.

You can, however, detach the Joy-Cons and use the motion controls as a unique way to play the game. You can swing it forward to throw and then backward to reel it in. This is something that PS4 and Xbox One cannot deliver despite both of them having much better fishing simulators. The game is playable in all three Nintendo Switch play modes so you can fully utilize the portability of the console to take your fishing adventure anywhere you go.

Fish in the water behave differently. Their behavior is dependent on the weather, time of day, bait and lure used. Each bait type and lure attracts a different type of fish so if you want a special type of fish, you will need to switch to a bait or lure that attracts that particular type of fish. Lure and Baits are not really expensive however you must level up enough to unlock more types of Lure and Bait. The same thing goes for the gear in the game. You do not earn too much by selling fish so if you want the best gear, you have to grind quite a lot in the game.

Final Verdict

Fishing Adventure is a pretty basic fishing game that has a huge focus on grinding. There is no campaign or specific game modes. All you need to do is grind and level up to unlock more countries and gear. The gameplay is not really captivating that you would grind a long time in the game and the rewards are not really worth something that you would want to spend hours and hours grinding for. It is a decent game if you love fishing but if you are looking for a hardcore fishing adventure, you are better off playing on other platforms. Still, if you want a fishing game on Nintendo Switch, you can give Fishing Adventure a shot.

Final Verdict: 6/10